Raising funds for law enforcement families

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The Long Beach Nursing and Rehabilitation Center hosted its second annual Pie Grab and Go Fundraiser on Feb. 12 to benefit Law Enforcement Officers Weekend, an organization that supports law enforcement families affected by a line of duty death or serious injury.

The event raised about $1,300 to help provide families with all-expense-paid vacations or access to different events. Several items including beach passes, gift cards, bottles of wines and a cooler were raffled off during the event. Each person who purchased a raffle received a complimentary pie, Kaitlin Powers, the regional director of admissions at Long Beach Nursing and Rehabilitation, said. She added that overall the organizers gave away more than 120 pies.

“It’s important to recognize the people in our community that work hard to give back to other people that have suffered great losses,” Powers said. “We’re excited to identify more local foundations giving back… this is only the beginning.”

Since 2016, LEO Weekend has now taken more than 15 law enforcement families on vacations to Lake George and Long Beach.

“It means a lot to us. To bring these families to Lake George and to Long Beach is difficult and a bit pricey, so when an organization like the nursing home reaches out to us and wants to help us — it’s a huge asset to us and it allows us to bring more families each year,” LEO Weekend Director of Operations Zachary Grunther said.

The organization, based in Long Beach, was started in 2016 by New York City Police Officer Austin Glickman. In the fall of 2014, while in the NYPD academy and just days before his graduation, Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were assassinated in Brooklyn. That event sparked Glickman to pursue the idea of a weekend getaway dedicated to law enforcement officers and their families.

The organization has already scheduled vacations in Lake George and Long Beach, along with baseball games for the families to attend this summer.

The Pie Grab and Go event leads into the annual Long Beach Fundraiser to benefit the LEO Weekend on Saturday, Feb. 29 from 2-6 p.m. at the Junction. The Long Beach Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will present the foundation with a check. Last year, organizers said that Long Beach Fundraiser collected nearly $25,000 for the families of injured and fallen law enforcement officers.

For more information on the organization or a link to donate, visit https://leoweekend.com.